


a moment worth waiting for

by ofsinnersandsaints



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, NOW WITH LESS ANGST, basically a condensed modern retelling of the first season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 14:44:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21210260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofsinnersandsaints/pseuds/ofsinnersandsaints
Summary: the coffee shop au i didn't know i wanted to write





	a moment worth waiting for

**Author's Note:**

  * For [viviansternwood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/viviansternwood/gifts).

> i've written over a hundred fics in my fandom life and surprisingly i don't think i've ever written a coffee shop au? and i think barely half of this fic is actually in the coffee shop so who knows, maybe i still haven't

Charlotte had never had a job before, at least not one she’d been paid for.

She’d helped look after her younger siblings; cooked, cleaned, and put them to bed while her parents worked around the clock to keep a roof over their heads.

But now she was at college and she needed to support herself, so she’d applied at the coffee shop around the corner from her house, and thankfully not too far from campus, where she’d been immediately hired by the well-meaning, but easily distracted owner.

“You ready to be on your own? I can’t hold your hand forever, you know.”

Charlotte looked up to see the beautiful redhead who had been training her for the past week walk in, trying an apron around her as she talked. Esther was abrasive and rude, but after watching her for six days straight Charlotte was beginning to think it was all an act.

She’d once seen Esther on the phone, nearly in tears, and when Charlotte had asked if everything was okay the other woman had snapped that men were the worst and then broke a plate. So, Charlotte suspected there was more going on than just general rudeness and was determined not to take the harshness too personally.

“I think I’ll find a way to manage.”

“Great, you’re covering the register today and I’ll handle the coffees. If I have to talk to anyone today and I’m going to burn this city to the ground.”

Charlotte nodded because she couldn’t think of a response and clocked in at the register, watched as Mary opened the door, and then headed into the back to make the small breakfast orders they’d occasionally get.

It was no more than ten minutes later that Mobile Man and The Frat Boys walked in. They had names, but Charlotte refused to remember them because they were worst way to start her day.

And they came in every single day.

They were all generally good looking, the one who was always on his phone particularly so, but they made up for their pretty faces by being complete asses.

The exception, of course, was the one whom Charlotte was convinced was in love with Esther.

“Morning, Charlotte,” he greeted.

“Morning,” she greeted back. “What can I get you this morning?”

“Esther.”

Charlotte bit back a smile, leaning back to see Esther by the espresso machine, clearly listening but pretending like she wasn’t. “Esther, this gentleman has requested you.”

“You can tell him that I don’t give a fuck what he wants, and if he doesn’t order from you, he’s more than welcome to find his beverage elsewhere. I think there’s water in the toilet bowl.”

Holding back a snort Charlotte returned to the man who was grinning so broadly she feared for his cheeks. “Esther’s busy right now, I hope you don’t mind settling for me.”

He laughed and pulled out his wallet, immediately slipping a twenty dollar bill into the nearly empty tip jar. “I’ll have a large Americana, extra whip cream. Thanks.”

Charlotte rang him up, gave him his change, and then watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked over the coffee station where he made one sided conversation with Esther while she made his coffee as loudly as possible and pointedly ignored him.

Mobile Man was still talking heatedly, his voice just low enough she couldn’t make out the words, so his friend who perpetually looked drunk leaned onto the counter with something like a leer on his face. “You’re not going to ask me what I want?”

Knowing a landmine when she saw one, Charlotte sidestepped it. “What can I get for you?”

“Oh, come on,” he pouted. “You’re no fun. You’re supposed to ask ‘what do you want’ and I say ‘you.’”

Charlotte nodded, kept her waning smile plastered on her face. “Tragic, then, that I missed my cue. What can I get for you?”

He mumbled his order and Charlotte sent it over to Esther, and waited semi-patiently for Mobile Man to finish his conversation. “Large cappuccino.”

Charlotte simply stared at him, feigning patience and interest.

After a moment he stepped closer to the register, his brows lowering with what she could only assume was aggravation. If she wasn’t paid to be nice to customers, she imaged she’d look just like him. “Did you hear me?”

“Oh, I did,” she answered, overly cheerful. “But as you’re five feet away and still on your mobile I didn’t think you were talking to me.”

There was a snap of anger in his eyes as he said a clipped goodbye to the person on the other of end of the line. Charlotte kept her best smile on as he stepped up to the register. “Hello. I’d like a large cappuccino. Please.”

Odd how his ‘please’ sounded a lot like a less pleasant word.

“Of course, was there anything else I can get you?” and she was proud of herself at how genuinely pleasant she sounded when she kind of wanted to slam his finger in a door.

He’d been the rude one, and he was angry at her?

“No,” he clipped out, laying a bill on the counter and walking away.

Figuring what was left over was for her, she dropped the change in her tip jar and watched as Esther handed the men their drinks, not even giving them a smile as she did so.

Charlotte wondered how she managed to keep her job when she was so decidedly un-friendly.

Thankfully, it appeared as if the trio of men had other things to do because they didn’t sit at one of the tables to enjoy their drinks, instead heading straight for the door. Esther’s friend gave Charlotte a little salute, the drunk man winked, and Mobile Man ignored her.

When the door shut behind them, Charlotte let out a breath, grateful it was over.

“And here I thought was living on the edge,” Esther commented as she wiped down the equipment she’d just used.

“Huh?” Charlotte asked, looking away from the door to her co-worker.

“Scolding the boss’ favorite brother? Even I haven’t the balls for that.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open at the information. “I’m sorry, he’s what?!”

“She really put you in your place,” George Babbington commented with a grin as they walked down the street. “You should ask her out.”

Sidney glared at his friend, “Not all of us have your particular quirks when it comes to women, Babbington.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it,” he laughed.

“I’ll ask her out,” Crowe offered. “She’s pretty enough, and I bet she’d be a great roll in the sack.”

“John,” Sidney warned, because while she’d been impertinent, she hardly deserved to be involved in any of Crowe’s more lascivious fantasies. He wasn’t sure anyone deserved that. “Why don’t we consider all of my brother’s employees off limits?”

“I’m not agreeing to that,” Babbington argued.

“I meant to Crowe.”

“Oh,” and Babbington was all friendliness again. “I second that.”

“Fuck you both,” Crowe mumbled, reaching into his coat to pull out a flask. Sidney didn’t even ask what it was, and because he knew how late Crowe had been out the night before he didn’t begrudge the man a little hair of the dog. “Are we going out tonight?”

“You want to go out?” Sidney asked, unbelieving. “I thought you were still hungover.”

“I’m not hungover,” he answered as he took a drink of his spiked coffee. “I’m still drunk, and I’d like to continue that pattern for at least the rest of the day.”

“There’s not a lot of places to get drunk in Sanditon,” Babbington pointed out. “I think there’s only two places? How is that possible in a college town?”

“Most of them get drunk at home,” Sidney answered. “There’s The Den, but since that’s owed by a miscreant, I’d recommend we go to the Boardwalk, it’s right on the beach. Not a bad place, all things considered.”

“Then to the Boardwalk we go!” Crowe announced to the street in general. “Until then, I must bid you gentlemen a fond farewell. I have very important things to take care of.”

Sidney watched as Crowe wandered down the street, stopped at the crosswalk and looked around for a moment before seemingly picking a direction and walking.

“He’s got no idea where he’s going, does he?”

“Nope,” Babbington answered genially.

“Do you honestly like that woman at coffee shop? The angry one?”

Babbington grinned, “I’m in love with her. If I wasn’t worried about her throwing steaming milk in my face I’d have proposed to her already.”

“She hates you.”

“She’s prickly,” Babbington shrugged as they continued on the sidewalk. “But I don’t mind a prickly exterior. She’s like a pineapple.”

Sidney stopped and looked at his friend, meeting his gaze so Babbington understood how serious he was. “Do not. Under any circumstances. Tell her that.”

“You don’t think telling a woman that she’s an exotic fruit is a good thing? Huh. I’ll take that under consideration. Now, I have to get to work, but I’ll see you and Crowe tonight for drinks and debauchery.”

“I can’t wait,” Sidney replied dryly and drank his coffee as he headed to his brother’s house, trying to figure how he was going to save the twice damned coffee house.

He let himself into the home and was unsurprised to hear that it was quiet and felt empty. “Tom? You here?”

“Back here!” came the muffled reply.

Sidney walked through the house to the office which was covered in papers and made Sidney’s more organized heart squeeze a little. “What are you doing?”

“I have an idea!” Tom announced and Sidney felt his heart drop. “I know you’re trying to help me with the coffee shop, but I thought, as soon as we get it back in the black, we could-“

“Maybe we should focus on one thing at time,” Sidney interrupted before Tom could dive too deep, but looking around the office Sidney thought he might be too late for that. “Coffee shop first.”

“Yes, yes, but if you have a good idea are you just supposed to put it down?” Tom demanded, his excitement making him seem much younger than he was. “I know of a contractor, I was thinking of calling him-“

“Contractor? Tom, you can barely afford to pay your employees and you’re talking about building a brand new building?”

“What? No, of course not. But there’s this building on the shore, old but beautiful, if I got some money to remodel it could be a beautiful seaside restaurant.”

While he thought a seaside restaurant might do well in the coastal town, he did not think his brother should be the one to run it. He had an image of the cashier from the shop, probably a college student, who depended on her weekly checks to buy books, use the bus, _eat_.

Little she did know that at any point the place could be shut down and she’d be without a job and without a paycheck. It was his job to make sure it didn’t happen; that’s why Tom had called him into town so he could use his connections to keep the place afloat.

“I thought I came to town to help you with Parker Coffee, not help you start another business you can’t afford?”

“Well, I don’t see why we can’t do both.”

Sidney took a deep breath and wished he had put some Crowe’s liquor into his coffee.

He needed a drink.

Charlotte was debating a glass of wine or bed.

She should do homework, but after school and the café she just didn’t have the mental capacity for studying.

Wine it was.

She was pulling the bottle out of the fridge when her phone vibrated and she saw it was a text from Esther. Charlotte hoped to God she wasn’t calling in sick for tomorrow; she did not want to deal with the Sunday crowd by herself.

ESTHER D.: WE’RE GOING OUT. PUT ON SOMETHING HOT. I’M DOWNSTAIRS.

Charlotte furrowed her brows as she looked at the words on the screen, not quite able to make sense of them. Walking to the window she looked down to see Esther in her beat up old convertible, the top down.

She opened the window and looked down at the street. “What are you on about?”

“We’re going to get a drink.”

“We are?”

For some reason she looked exasperated, as if she was a small child disobeying her babysitter. “Yes, we are. Put on some jeans and a good bra.”

“I reall-“

“Charlotte. When have I ever asked you for anything?” she yelled up and Charlotte resisted the urge to yell back. But Esther had a point, she’d never once asked Charlotte for anything and she considered the kind of thing which might make the redhead reach out.

None of them were good.

“Fine,” Charlotte shouted down. “I’ll be in five.”

“Make it quicker and I buy the first drink!”

Charlotte shut the window and looked down at her pajamas. She pulled off her top and kicked off the shorts, reaching for the bra she’d worn earlier in the day but stopped. How often did she go out? Almost never. Grabbing her best underwear she pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and her orange jacket to wear over her white t-shirt.

It wasn’t exactly femme fatale territory, but she’d feel confident and more importantly, she’d feel comfortable.

Charlotte opened the door to Esther’s car a little after the six minute mark. “You’re late,” Esther greeted, putting the car in gear before Charlotte had gotten her seat belt on. “You get the first round.”

This time she did roll her eyes as Esther nearly burned rubber down the street.

They ended up at the Boardwalk, which Charlotte had been to once before. It was a cool little place, from what she understood it was owned by a local who had bought it and renovated it himself, which was impressive because it was gorgeous on the inside.

“What’s your poison?” Esther asked as she slid up onto one of the barstools in the mini skirt one wore only if they were a thousand percent confident in themselves.

“Rum,” Charlotte answered. “Spiked lemonade.”

“That’s a summer drink,” Esther pointed out, but because she didn’t sound like she was scolding Charlotte let it go.

“Are you going to tell me the reason we’re here tonight?”

“Nope.”

“Okay then, alcohol it is.” Charlotte looked over at the bartender and when he caught her gaze he waved to let her know he’d seen them. “That’s the owner, right?”

“Why? You going to find his brother and tell him off?” Esther asked with a smirk. “Not that I’m judging, I’m impressed at how you handled it. You were nice the entire fucking time, and if he gets pissed it just makes him feel like an asshole.”

“Thanks?”

“You’re welcome,” Esther replied, looking at the menu. “I’m going to get something to eat too. Are you in the mood for anything?”

“I’ll never say no to fried cheese,” Charlotte answered as the bartender came over. “I’d like a spike lemonade, if you’ve got it. And Esther will have?”

“An Orgasm.”

“That is not on the menu,” Charlotte argued, pulling it from Esther’s hand but sure it enough it was the third thing on the list. “You’re not driving after drinking that.”

“That’s fine, we’ll just walk home. Or maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll find some fine gentleman to take us home.”

“I’m good, thanks.” Charlotte turned back to the bartender who was patiently waiting for them to remember he was there. “We’ll also take mozzarella sticks. Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” he smiled. “Starting a tab?”

Charlotte told him no and handed him her card, knowing her budget wasn’t going to allow an unlimited amount of drinks.

“You could go home with the bartender,” Esther said. “He was checking you out.”

“He was flirting for tips,” Charlotte argued, looking around the bar to see who was there. Being a barista at a local coffee shop meant she was slowly getting to know a lot of the locals and she wanted to see if she recognized anyone here. “Oh, fuck.”

“What?”

“Our favorite men are here,” she whispered as if the men in question might somehow be able to hear them from across the bar. “By the pool tables.”

Esther tossed her hair over her shoulder and casually looked around, her eyes widening almost imperceptively. “For the love of Peter, they’re coming over.”

“Maybe Mr. Congenial will take you home?”

“Mr. Congenial?” Esther asked on a laugh. “Are you talking about George Babbington?”

“His last name is Babbington? That’s terrible.”

“The other two are John Crowe, and your special friend is Sidney.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“He’s also coming over.”

With the information, Charlotte looked down the bar to see how their drinks were coming, wishing she had something to chug. “He’s not as bad as all that,” Esther commented.

“We didn’t make a good impression on one another,” Charlotte explained when the bartender brought over their drinks and the slip for her to sign. “I’d rather not make it worse.”

“Oh, I’m really hoping you do.”

“You’re support means everything to me, really.”

Esther was laughing when the men came over, led by George. “You ladies already have drinks? And here we were going to offer to buy.”

“You can get the next round,” Esther offered. “Come back in twenty minutes.”

Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head as she looked at the other men, her eyes accidentally meeting with Sidney’s, colliding with almost a physical force that left her reeling.

He’d seen her walk in.

It was like a pinprick on his chest, a sudden tug from his ribs, and almost as if he’d known the moment she’d arrive he’d looked up to see her walking through the door with Esther. She wore curve hugging jeans and a white tank top which set off her tan skin and he felt the irritating spark of desire.

It had been an easy enough thing to ignore when they only shared the same space for a handful of minutes, and his recent dislike of being attracted to anyone made him something of an ass around her. He should probably apologize next time he went in for coffee.

Then Babbington had insisted on going up to the bar where the women were drinking, wanting to-in his own words- ‘make a fool’ of himself once before the night was over. And like any good wingman he’d followed and tried his best not to stare at Charlotte as she laughed.

When her eyes met his, he felt the contact down his spine and along his nerves.

And resisted the urge to swipe at her.

“You know,” Sidney began. “If you really want to put him in his place, you should play pool.”

Esther’s expression reminded him of a shark smelling blood in the water. “You don’t say?”

“He thinks he’s the best, but I have a feeling you can beat him.”

She grabbed her purse and stood up, looking Babbington straight in the eye, confidence exuding from every pore of her body. “Twenty bucks?”

“Is that all you think I’m worth?” Babbington asked, feigning insult.

“You’re right,” Esther reached into her wallet and pulled out a one dollar bill. “Better?”

With a grin, Babbington took the dollar. “You’re on.”

“That was smooth.”

He looked down at Charlotte who was smiling around the glass she was raising to her lips. “What was?”

“Getting Esther to pull George away so they can bond in private.”

Sidney’s mouth quirked a little, lowering himself into the seat beside Charlotte. “Oh, is that what I did?”

“But you didn’t think it all the way through,” she pointed out, looking a little awkward as she shifted on her seat. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

He mentally winced, thinking he must have been a pure grade ass to make her think he’d be ‘stuck’ anywhere with her… Maybe he should apologize sooner rather than later. “Have you been outside? On the patio?”

Her eyes almost literally lit up. “I didn’t even know there was a patio. The last time I was here it was pouring rain and we stayed inside.”

Sidney picked up his beer and nodded to the door, “Come on. I’ll show you.”

Charlotte followed him with her own pretty pink concoction and he pushed open the door to the wooden patio and let her go first.

The place was set up to be romantic with twinkle lights and little tables with chairs facing the ocean, which Sidney hadn’t thought all the way through, but her little gasp told him he’d done the right thing.

“This is beautiful,” she set her drink down and walked to the end of the wooden slats, the wind teasing the short strands of her hair.

“It’s something else with a full moon and a clear night.”

“I bet,” she grinned, turning to look at him. “Thank you for showing this to me.”

“You’d have found it sooner or later.”

“Sooner is always better than later.”

The universe could not have given him a more distinct sign. He leaned against the table, his beer held loosely in his hands between his legs. “I’m sorry for how I acted earlier.”

She looked over at him, the scene was entirely too romantic for his bruised heart, but damn him if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Sorry for what?”

“You know what.”

Charlotte smiled and walked towards him. “It’s fine, but thank you for the apology just the same.”

“I’m not usually an ass,” he started.

“So, it’s just me?” she asked, but there was a teasing note in her voice which made him smile.

Yes, he thought, but didn’t say it out loud.

“It’s not a good reason, but I’ve been under a lot of stress the past couple of weeks and I’ve been practically glued to my phone.”

She stood next to him, her hip nearly touching his. “Anything I can help with?”

He wanted to confide in her, but this was Tom’s thing and he didn’t want to overstep or overshare. “I don’t think so, no, but I appreciate the offer.”

“The more heads you have, the quicker the solution,” she told him as she bumped her shoulder against his. “Just let me know if you change your mind.”

“Will do.”

She laughed softly, the sound nearly caught up in the rush of wind. “I can’t believe I scolded my boss’ brother.”

Sidney laughed. “I deserved it, and Babbington got a kick out of it, so there’s that.”

She tilted her head as she looked at him. “Why do you call him by his last name?”

“He’s got the same name as his dad, and he refused to let us call him Babs.”

Charlotte laughed loudly, throwing her head back. “That’s great. I can’t believe he won’t let you call him Babs. That’s incredibly unfair of him.”

He wanted to kiss her so bad he had to grip the beer bottle to keep himself from grabbing her.

“God, I love this song.”

Sidney tried to hear the song over the waves and heard the soft, lilting melody coming through the hidden speakers. “Want to dance?”

She looked surprised, and then he thought he saw a blush on her cheeks but it was too dark to be able to tell for sure. “You’re serious?”

He hadn’t meant to make the offer, but now that it was in the air between them he couldn’t find it in him to take it back. “Yeah, why not?”

“We’d be the only ones dancing.”

“We’re the only ones out here,” he pointed out, standing up and setting his drink on the table before holding out his hand. “How often do you get a chance to dance on a beach under twinkle lights?”

“Well,” she started, the tease of a smile on her lips, “If I come back tomorrow night, I imagine I’ll get the chance then as well.”

Sidney shook his head, resisting the urge to laugh, his hand still held out between them. “Come on, Charlotte.”

“You know my name,” she said, as if she was surprised and it was then he realized they still hadn’t been introduced. Life in a small town, he thought with a shake of his head.

“You know mine, right?”

“I do,” she said as she took his hand. “Sidney Parker.”

She stared at his hand for a solid three seconds, which was much longer than it sounded, but eventually she reached out to put her hand in his.

His smile was warm and soft and rivaled the twinkle lights for the loveliest thing she’d seen thus far tonight. When he pulled her close she could feel the heat of him seep into her, his arm around coming around her waist to draw her in.

No one wonder the waltz had been considered so risqué back in those Austen days.

She wasn’t sure if anything felt quite as intimate as being in Sidney Parker’s arms while soft music whispered around them. “I hope you don’t expect me to actually know how to dance,” she suddenly felt the need to tell him. “I spent most of my life playing hokey-pokey.”

He lowered his brow as they began to sway slightly.

“I looked after my siblings,” she explained. “Not much time for extra circulars like dancing.”

“Don’t worry,” the hand on her hip squeeze slightly as he took a step forward and she instinctively took a step back, her hand coming up to grip onto his shoulder. “I’ve got you.”

Charlotte had never felt truly breathless before. She’d been out of breath-swimming, running-but this was different. Everything about her was light and soft and she’d almost swear they were glowing as they stood so close together.

“I see that.”

He moved again and it was absurdly sexy how easily her body anticipated and moved with his, so much like sex it made every nerve of her body sing. “Now, we’re going to try something really complicated. I’m going to spin you.”

She laughed as he grinned at her. He took a step back and raised the hand which held hers and spun her around and she might have been in a ballroom dress instead of jeans and an oversized jacket. Sidney caught her back in his embrace and they moved around the tables and chairs on the patio, the song drifting between and around them.

“You’re pretty good at this,” Charlotte pointed out because the silence which stretched out had her daydreaming about what he might be thinking.

“It’s never come in handy before,” he replied and she thought there was something different about his voice. Deeper, rougher.

When she looked up and met his eyes there was enough heat in them to make her feel singed.

“Sidney.”

She wasn’t sure what she’d been planning to say, the name had come out of her lips before she’d thought about what she’d follow it up with. She’d just needed to say it.

They weren’t moving anymore but they were still wrapped up in one another, the song must have ended up at some point because the singer was different coming from the hidden speakers.

“Charlotte,” he said, putting the hand he held on his shoulder, freeing up his so he could wrap his arms around her waist. “I thought-“

“Charlotte!”

The sharp yell was enough of a shock they both startled at the sound, turning to see Esther standing at the doorway, with George standing behind her. Esther was smirking but George was smiling like seeing his friend dancing on the patio with a woman hadn’t surprised him in the least.

Sidney dropped his arms from around her and put a respectable amount of distance between them which was suddenly the last thing she wanted. It took every ounce of her control not to pull him back to her.

“Did you need something, Esther?” Charlotte asked, and if her voice was a little harsh there wasn’t anything to do about it.

Esther walked towards them with drinks her hand. “George got us the next round.”

She didn’t need another drink, but she wasn’t going to be rude and walked over to take her drink from Esther. “Thank you, George.”

“My pleasure,” he nodded, then leaned forward as he kept his voice. “Sorry for interrupting.”

Charlotte knew she was blushing but also thought the odds were pretty good no one could see it. “There was nothing to interrupt.”

“Ah,” George looked unconvinced. “Of course. Just a little slow dancing between acquaintances.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, “Something like that.”

“It’s weird, I can’t remember him dancing with anyone else. Not even his fiancé.”

That bit of information was enough of a surprise Charlotte whipped her head around to look at him. “He’s engaged?”

“Was,” he quickly answered. “Sorry. I forget not everything is common knowledge. Sidney was engaged a couple years ago, and it didn’t end well. It’s not something he’d bring up.”

She hated that she wanted to know, hated she had to press her lips together to keep from asking. And still, the words managed to slip out. “Does he still love her?”

“No.”

The answer was so quick and definitive Charlotte believed him; but just because George thought Sidney was over his ex didn’t mean he actually was.

But hadn’t he been about to say something before Esther had interrupted? And while she didn’t know him particularly well, and up until an hour ago she’d disliked him, she’d recognized the look on his face.

He’d been about to say something important, but with Esther laughing and teasing George the moment was effectively ruined and gone.

Turning to look at Sidney she was caught off guard by the fact he was already looking at her. He was only a few steps away but he moved towards her, “I didn’t get to finish what I was saying.”

“I noticed.”

“Maybe we can find another moment to try again?”

It wasn’t asking her out on a date, but she was his brother’s employee and maybe he felt odd about that. Or maybe she was a young, naïve girl from the country vastly overblowing a single dance under some pretty lights.

“I look forward to it.”

He nodded once, as if that somehow set something in stone, and then he turned to George. “She kick your ass at pool?”

“Yes, and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Two days later Sidney left the house because he couldn’t handle Tom hovering any longer; so he’d packed up his stuff and went to the café which was-weirdly-one of the last places Tom would go.

He’d spread out on a corner table with his laptop and a pile of Tom’s paperwork and drank tea because more than one cup of coffee this late in the day would keep him up all night. His headphones kept a steady stream of noise from the show he had playing on his phone; something he’d seen before so he didn’t have to pay attention to it while he tried to make sense of Tom’s finances.

It didn’t occur to him to wonder why his tea was always full and always hot no matter how much time had passed. He just drank it.

Then the lights dimmed dramatically, pulling him from his thoughts.

From the counter he saw Charlotte laughing. “Sorry, I tried to get your attention earlier to let you know we were closing, but you were somewhere else.”

Shit, how long had he been here?

“Sorry, I’ll-“

“Don’t feel like you have to go,” she interrupted. “I have at least another half an hour of stuff I can to do before I leave.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He looked down at the tea near his elbow, the past few hours coming back to him. “You were the one with the tea.”

She smiled at him as she walked around the counter and began putting the chairs, which had all been upside down on the tables, back on the floor. “I figured as long as you were drinking it you probably still wanted it.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“I didn’t ring any of it up,” she confessed, looking a little abashed at the confession. “It was just tea, it’s not the like a few cups of tea are going to keep this place afloat.”

He narrowed his eyes, “How did you know?”

“The papers,” Charlotte shrugged, moving to sit at the table next to him, curling one of her legs beneath her. “I didn’t mean to look, but it was pretty obvious what you were doing. That’s why you’ve been on the phone every time you’ve come in. Trying to save the café.”

Sidney let out a heavy sigh, and it felt like a weight lifted off of him. He hadn’t had anyone to talk to about this aside from Tom, and he was grateful to be able to vent to someone. “Tom’s a great idea man, but not a great business man. He’s asked me to try and help him out of the hole he’s in.”

“Are you a good business man?” she asked, reaching out to take his tea and drank out of it. It was such friendly gesture, so far from where they’d been 36 hours ago it made him smile.

“I went to business school,” he answered. “I currently run an investment group that works with small business owners.”

“Sounds impressive.”

“It’s pretty boring actually.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” she scolded, putting the mug back on the table. “Not many people would help their siblings like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re on vacation and instead of enjoying the lovely beach eight steps away you’re here, talking to a waitress, in a closed café.”

He was surprised, “How did you know I was on vacation?”

“I’m a waitress, I spend a reasonable part of my day watching people and as it turns out they’re not that hard to figure out.”

“Oh,” Sidney grinned and leaned against the wall so they were facing each other. “Do tell.”

“Well, you’re friend Crowe would make a great character in a gothic novel. He drinks a lot, and he likes to play the rake, but there’s something very sad about him. There’s a demure governess somewhere in Sanditon who would bring him to his knees.”

Sidney laughed at the description, but she wasn’t wrong. Crowe had been running away from his demons for more years than Sidney could count. One of these days they’d catch up to him. “You’re not far off, but I don’t know much about the governess.”

“Oh, I do. I’ve read the books.”

“All of them,” he teased.

“All of them,” she agreed with a smile. “George is in love with Esther, but that’s a pretty easy one. He’s the kind of person who would charm the meanest old lady.”

“And me?”

Her face went soft as she rested her head against the wall, “You’re harder to figure out. I had you all wrong in the beginning; I thought you were some toff from the city who couldn’t put his phone down long enough to enjoy his vacation. Which I knew you were on because Mr. Crowe and George were constantly talking about what to do on their holiday, and since you were with them I figured you were here pretending to be on vacation.”

“What do you think of me now?”

“My opinion of you might be changed, just a little.”

“That’s good to know. I’d hate for you to think badly of me.” He gave her a self-deprecating smile, “Especially after I’ve ignored you the entire time I was here.”

“If it makes you feel better, you ignored Esther too.”

“It really doesn’t,” he told her as he started to gather up his papers. Shutting his laptop and putting everything into his bag. “I am sorry if I kept you here late.”

“It wasn’t a big thing, Sidney.”

“Where are you parked?”

“I walk to work, I don’t live very far.”

“Oh,” he stopped and looked outside at the darkness enveloping the small town. There wasn’t what anyone might consider to be a criminal element in town, but one could never account for drunk tourists. “I’ll hang around till you’re done and walk you home.”

“Sidney-“

“Please, for my own piece mind.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully she gave in. “Alright, let me get my stuff.”

He waited at the front door for her and together they walked outside into the cooling coastal night. She locked the door behind them and started walking towards her apartment.

There was something young about the way he felt; he wanted to take her hand and hold it, he wanted to put his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer.

He also wanted to push her against the nearest wall and fuck her, which was less high school.

Charlotte could feel the tension between them, but didn’t know what to do with it so she filled the space between them with words. “You know, if you’re trying to bring in new customers to the café you should lure more college students with an open mic night.”

“Mic night?”

She nodded and wondered if he would notice if she slowed down her steps to make the walk last a little bit longer. “Yeah, let kids come in and do their poetry, bands could come in and play. If you give people the chance to put themselves in the spotlight, they won’t be able to resist. And what’s more, they’ll bring their friends and once they’re inside they’ll buy coffee and snacks. Maybe they’ll remember us next time they’re in the mood or in the neighborhood.”

“That’s actually a really good idea.”

“Don’t sound surprised.”

“No,” he reached out to touch her shoulder. “That’s not it. I just can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“You’re too close to it,” she shrugged. “Are you going to finish asking that question from the other night? Because I’ve been thinking about it.”

His lips quirked a little at the corners, “Have you?”

“There a million different ways to finish the sentence ‘I thought,’” she pointed out, just a little bit irritated because she’d been thinking about the damn words almost constantly for the past two days. Esther had called her on it more than once, and Charlotte had expressed her bewilderment at being so suddenly attracted to someone she hadn’t even liked before.

Esther, in all her worldly wisdom, had explained to Charlotte that she’d always been attracted to Sidney but now that she actually knew him, she liked him.

_Like _liked him.

Esther had said it with a smirk and a part of Charlotte had panicked because it had been so long since she’d liked someone more than superficially. She’d been too busy with school, her family, then moving, that she hadn’t had time for crushes.

She didn’t know what to do with them, which was why she’d been content to let Sidney bury himself in the corner and had stealthily kept his tea warm. But now she was walking with him under a cloudy sky, the sound of the ocean a slight murmur in the distance.

Was he just looking for romantic scenes? Or did they just always happen in seaside towns?

“There are?” he asked, bringing her back to the moment.

“Yes,” she snapped, though she wasn’t actually angry. “And I’ve thought of all of them.”

His grin spread and she wondered at how warm and gooey it made her. “Really? Like what?”

“I thought I heard a whale,” she answered immediately, something easing around her heart as she teased with him. “I thought Esther was a murderer. I thought my friend Mr. Crowe might actually be a crow.”

Sidney laughed and reached out towards her, his hands settling on her hips, his grip loose enough she could pull away if she wanted. “I apologize. I had intended to find you sooner, but I got wrapped up in the Café business.”

“I understand,” she assured him, stepping forward to fiddle with the edges of his jacket. “But we are alone, it is quiet, and there’s very little chance of Esther coming upon us. If you were looking to finish the thought.”

“Charlotte- I don’t know you’re last name,” he seemed to realized.

“Heywood.”

“Charlotte Heywood,” he started over. “I thought, if you weren’t busy this week, you might consider going to dinner with me.”

“I’m off Wednesday and Thursday,” she told him. “I’d love to have dinner with you on either of those days.”

His grin was bright at her answer and he brought her just a little closer so their bodies were almost touching. “And I thought, because Thursday is two days, we might take care of a little business now and get it out of the way.”

Butterflies caught fire in Charlotte’s stomach, her breath catching somewhere in her chest as he leaned down, his mouth stopping an inch away from hers. “Can I kiss you, Charlotte?”

“Yes,” she whispered, the word barely making a sound before he was kissing her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her against him, the kiss a certain and confident thing which pulled her under.

She opened her mouth when his tongue pressed against the seam of her lips and the kiss took a turn for the wicked. Charlotte raised herself on to her tips toes, clinging to him to maintain her balance and loving the way his body, hard and solid, felt against her breasts.

His arms wrapped fully around her waist, the cold metal of his belt buckle hitting the bare skin revealed by her shirt. It was enough of a surprise she pulled back.

“Too much?” he asked, his breath coming out a little ragged between his lips.

“You’re belt is cold,” she told him on a laugh.

Sidney reached out and brushed the back of his fingers against her mid-drift, “Sorry.”

“Worth it,” she smiled, her nerves quivering at his touch on her bare skin. “But I do have to be up in eight hours for work.”

“Right,” but he didn’t let her go. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“You don’t have my number.”

He shook his head and for the first time since she’d known him, he looked a little bashful. “I actually do. My brother is your boss.”

Charlotte grinned, delighted. “You stole my number from Tom? When?”

“I’d say shortly after the second time I got coffee.”

She tried to remember the second time she’d seen him, but he’d been in and out of the café so much she couldn’t remember anything specific about that particular visit. “What happened after the second time?”

“Nothing, you’re just gorgeous and I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Charlotte was stunned enough she fell back onto her heels, her hands sliding forward to rest on his shoulders. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

“You don’t?” She didn’t have an answer for that. “Tom has the employee files at his home office, and I came across them when I was looking for other stuff. When I saw your number I put it in my phone but it felt weird to use it.”

She nodded solemnly, “Definite creeper vibes. I appreciate you showing restraint.”

He smiled and shook his head, finally releasing her and taking a step back. “I should finish walking you home.”

He’d decided to take Charlotte to dinner in the city because they both knew too many people in Sanditon and any date they’d try to have would be interrupted numerous times by people coming up to say hi.

And he wanted Charlotte to himself, especially after she’d come out in a shimmering gold dress looking like something out of a fairy tale. He’d kissed her on the sidewalk before getting into the car and then they drove the forty minutes to the city; the entire time they debated about what music to play, about what movies were worth watching in theaters right now, and it was nice to get to know her.

He tried to remember the names of her siblings, but there were so many it was difficult to keep track.

She asked about Arthur, whom she’d met once or twice, and he told her stories of their childhood until they got to the restaurant. He was laughing when they walked in, otherwise he would have noticed the blonde woman at the bar.

Instead, his entire focus was on Charlotte as she did a bizarrely accurate imitation of Tom.

“Sid?”

The voice stopped him cold and his smile froze, Charlotte’s brow lowering as she caught onto his change in demeanor. “Sidney?”

He slid his hand down her arm, and then linked his fingers with hers before shifting to face Eliza. Seeming to sense something was off Charlotte shifted closer so her shoulder was pressed against his arm and it was nice to have someone stand with him.

“Eliza, hello.”

Her smile was wide but didn’t particularly sincere, but then again he hadn’t seen her in three years so maybe he didn’t know her as well as he used to. “I didn’t expect to see you here, I’d heard you were on the coast visiting your brother. How are things?”

“Things are great,” he answered, his words felt stiff on his tongue but he hoped they sounded congenial. “Charlotte, this is Eliza. Eliza, this is my girlfriend, Charlotte.”

Sidney was impressed Charlotte didn’t even flinch at the label, instead smiling warm and bright as she extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Eliza looked slightly less friendly as she shook hands with Charlotte. “You as well. Here for date night?”

Charlotte wrapped her arm around Sidney’s in a possessive gesture, “We thought it would be nice to get out of Sanditon for the evening. What brings you here?”

“I’m here meting some friends.”

Sidney shifted, “Is Evan joining you?”

There was a physical reaction on her face, like suddenly smelling something foul. “Evan and I actually divorced a few months ago. I’m just here with friends, one of them got a big promotion and we’re celebrating.”

“We’ll let you get back to it then.”

It was a friendly dismissal, but a dismissal none the less and he tried not to feel bad at the look of hurt on Eliza’s face. “Have a nice night.”

Sidney let out a heavy breath when she walked away. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s the ex-fiancée, right?” Charlotte asked. She held his hand with one of hers, the other she rested on his bicep.

He looked down, surprised at the question. “How did you know that?”

“George told me,” she answered, her eyes on Eliza. “He didn’t tell me much, just that she existed. Do you want to go someplace else?”

“No,” he answered immediately. “I’m not going to let her change our evening. She hasn’t been a part of my life for a long time, I’m not about to let her start affecting me again now.”

Charlotte nodded and seemed to consider something for a moment before looking up at him. “I just want you to know, Sidney Parker, you called me your girlfriend and there’s no take backs on that.”

Sidney laughed and kissed her, probably a little more affectionate than was warranted for a public place, but he wasn’t capable of resisting her. “Fair enough.”

“Now,” she shifted and faced the hostess stand where the woman was finishing helping someone else. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” They were escorted to their table and ordered drinks and when the waiter left, Sidney looked at Charlotte over the little oil candles. “Do you want to know the story?”

“Of course,” she rolled her eyes. “But I wasn’t going to pry, that would be rude.”

“I don’t mind,” he said after a moment, and to his surprise he meant it. He’d pictured what would happen if he ever saw Eliza again. Over the years his imagined response changed; shortly after the break up he’d pictured how he’d set her down, a few months later he thought about just ignoring her. There had been moments when he’d hoped to run into her with a beautiful woman on his arms so she’d feel a portion of what he’d felt when she left him for someone else.

But it hadn’t been victory he’d felt when Eliza had seen him with Charlotte, it had been a kind of indifference. He’d been frustrated the evening had been interrupted, but that had been it. Eliza was part of his past and he didn’t want to hide anything from Charlotte.

“We dated during college,” he explained. “And I thought we were going to be forever. I proposed.”

“And she broke it off?”

“Eliza wanted a certain kind of lifestyle, and it wasn’t something I was aspiring for. I wanted to be comfortable, she wanted to be rich. When she realized I wasn’t going to go along with it, she broke it off. About three months later she was married to someone we’d known, silver spoon kind of guy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“She’s why I was rude to you.” Her brow furrowed and he couldn’t blame her for the confusion, so he explained. “I opened up to someone, I trusted someone, and I was found wanting. I didn’t want to go through that again and I’ve done a pretty decent job of keeping my heart in check, until you. I saw you at the coffee shop - I don’t know if you remember this, but the first time we met Mary was training you.”

“I remember, you had to be told my name twice.”

“Yeah,” his smile was rueful as he reached across the table to cover her hand with his. “I didn’t actually need to be told your name twice, I just didn’t want you-or Mary, for that matter-to know how completely you’d affected me. Being on the cellphone was an easy way to keep myself at a distance but it didn’t work particularly well because you were still incredible charming with Babbington and Crowe.”

“And the bar?”

“There comes a point where you realize that protecting yourself is just depriving yourself.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“What is?”

“I’m going to have to thank Esther for dragging me out that night. She’ll be insufferable.”

Their date had gone so well Charlotte was still smiling days after.

Esther was, as Charlotte had expected, unbearable when she’d learned she was now dating Sidney Parker but whenever Esther teased her, Charlotte would parry with questions about George and Esther would blush and pretend not to remember his name.

In the three days since their date Sidney had come by the café each day during her lunch break. She would often do school work while he made plans for the open mic night; he’d ask her questions about ideas and posters and she’d complain about the reading.

It was pretty close to perfect.

She’d also learned in those three days that Sidney was a prolific texter, and terrible at emojis. He’d send her messages about the terrible meetings he had, about the eight woman over the age of seventy who called him a ‘very nice young man’ a dozen times when he’d directed them to a place to get coffee. Charlotte had informed him that he owed her a drink, because he’d sent those women to her and she’d spent the next two hours keeping up a string of inane conversation with them.

He’d picked her up after work and they’d taken a bottle of liquor to the beach and gotten a little tipsy before making out on the sand dunes.

All in all, it was the best week she’d had in a very long time.

It was getting close to the end of her shift when the bell over the door rang and Charlotte looked up to see who it was and felt her heart drop at the blonde woman who walked in wearing a Pinterest ready outfit, her hair perfectly done.

For a moment Charlotte wondered if Eliza had come here intentionally, but then their eyes met and the other woman’s brief surprise told Charlotte that at least this hadn’t been planned.

But she wished it could have been avoided.

“Hello,” she greeted, stepping up to the register and trying her best to feel confident and comfortable in her apron strings. “Welcome to Parker’s, what can I do for you?”

There was a world of judgement in her eyes as she stepped up to the counter. “Hello, Caroline was it?”

Her nametag take clearly stated her name was Charlotte but it wasn’t worth pointing out. “Charlotte, actually. It’s nice to see you again.”

Eliza made a sound in her throat which Charlotte couldn’t decipher. “You work here?”

The urge to roll her eyes was almost impossible to resist. “I do.”

“Is this how you met Sid?”

Mentally she grimaced at the nickname but nodded. “It is, he comes in most days. Was there something I can get for you and your friends?”

Charlotte had always imagined that phrase ‘looking down their nose’ was purely metaphorical but she was seeing it in the flesh as Eliza watched her. Each of the women ordered and Charlotte kept her smile plastered on her face as she rung up the complicated coffee orders and spun the touch screen around for Eliza to sign.

Naturally, she didn’t tip.

Frustrated, but desperately not wanting to look it, Charlotte got the pastries and brought them to their table. The way they suddenly stopped talking was so intentional she wanted to walk away, food still in hand. But they likely wanted a reaction out of her—poor barista, who would fold at the first insult.

“I love your purse,” Charlotte said instead, thinking she deserved an Emmy for her performance because the thing was actually hideous. Eliza’s eyes narrowed, like she was trying to find the trap in the words but eventually nodded and thanked her.

When Charlotte turned around she was grateful to see the clock on the wall indicated she was off in five minutes. She started closing out her register and when the bell rang again she braced herself for another customer she’d have to ring up before leaving.

It was an immense relief to see Sidney, _her boyfriend, _walk in.

“Fuck, it’s raining like crazy outside. You didn’t walk this morning, did you? I’ll drive-“ he stopped half way through his sentence, his head tilting a little as he took her in. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s great,” she lied and he wasn’t completely unconvinced. When he walked up to the counter she nodded behind him where Eliza and her friends were openly staring at them. “Your ex wandered in,” she whispered.

“On purpose?”

Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t think so, but she hasn’t been particular friendly.”

“I’m sorry. You’re off now, right? I was going to drive you home but we can go out and do something if you want.”

He didn’t even look over his shoulder at Eliza, and instead kept his attention and gaze purely focused on her. She couldn’t explain why, but it meant everything to her. “Did you come over specifically to drive me less than a mile home?”

Sidney shrugged, “I was at a good place to take a break and it’s pouring.”

Charlotte smiled and leaned across the counter to kiss him. “Thank you, that’s very sweet. Let me get my jacket.”

He stayed where he was and made small talk with the other barista on staff, a flighty and silly girl who was constantly talking about the boys she had crushes on. They changed often enough Charlotte never bothered remembering their names.

Sidney was polite and she blushingly tried to make conversation with him; his smile shifting into something more genuine when she came out from the back with her purse and jacket. “Ready to go?”

“Ready.”

“Sid.”

Both she and Sidney stopped at the voice coming from the corner of the café. They both knew who it was and Charlotte waited for Sidney to make polite with Eliza, but instead he took her hand and kissed it; a silly and romantic gesture which warmed her through. “I was thinking maybe we could go watch a movie at your place? Maybe pick up some food so we don’t have to leave.”

Charlotte smiled and stepped under his arm, loving the feel of it across her shoulders as they walked. “Perfect.”

“I’m sorry about Eliza,” Sidney apologized as he opened a bottle of wine Charlotte had. They’d decided on Chinese food and she was pulling the little cartons out of the paper bag while he poured them each a glass.

He liked her apartment.

It was comfortable, pastel colors and warm woods; books filled an entire wall and from the kitchen he recognized romance novels mixed with a few nonfiction. He wanted to poke at them but figured it could wait till later.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“Yeah, there is. She came down here to see me.”

Charlotte looked surprised and he could see her shoulders stiffen. “I see.”

“I don’t have any feelings for her,” Sidney felt the need to remind her.

“Oh, I know that,” she waved her hand as if it hadn’t factored into her thinking, and her confidence in him made him feel a little more solid. Tom still thought he was strung up on Eliza, and nothing he could say could convince his brother otherwise. “I just hate that she saw us together, and then immediately decided to come down here to-what? Win you back? Steal you from me?”

“She wanted to meet up.”

“You talked to her?”

“My phone number hasn’t changed in years,” he shrugged. “She called and I didn’t recognize the number because I’d erased it and I thought it was a business thing. When I realized it was her…” his sentence fell off.

“She tried to convince you dump the girl from the restaurant and get back together with her?”

“Basically. She wanted to come down so we could talk face to face but I told her I wasn’t interested and hung up. She must have decided to come down anyway and thought going to the café was a good way to track me down.”

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.”

Sidney walked around the island to frame Charlotte’s face his hands, “Even if I wasn’t head over heels for you I wouldn’t consider going back to her. But as it turns out, I am impossibly fond of you.”

Her smile was soft and lovely and he needed to kiss her, leaning forward to press his lips to hers.

She responded instantly, her arms wrapping around him to pull him close as the kiss went from something simple to sexy. Charlotte’s tongue slid along his mouth and he wasn’t strong enough to resist her, his hands sliding down her body to cup her ass. “I thought we were going to watch a movie.”

“Ever heard of Netflix and chill?” she asked as she begun unbuttoning his shirt. “And Chinese food is good reheated.”

Sidney looked at the food then back her, “You planned this.”

“You were the one who suggested coming back to my place,” she pointed out. “I just took it a step further. But if you’re not in the mood right now, I get it.”

He liked that she gave him an out, didn’t automatically assume he wanted to jump into bed, but the truth of the matter was he wanted her.

He always wanted her, it was just something he’d learned to get used to.

“Which direction is your bedroom?”

Her grin was enough to make him laugh as she led him down the hall to her tiny bedroom with its surprisingly big bed. They kissed as they undressed each other, the rain outside pounding on the glass and giving the room the feeling of being separate from the rest of the world.

He learned her body, learned how she liked to be touched and the sounds she made as he slid into her. He’d been having sex since he was a teenager, but nothing had ever felt like this, like his soul finding someone else’s through the touch of their skin.

When she arched beneath him, her body touched by the pearl gray light from the other side of the window, he found his own climax. After a moment to catch his breath he got up to clean off, he’d only been gone a minute but when he came back he found Charlotte pulling on pajamas and talking on her phone.

“I’m sorry, you’re going to have to repeat yourself,” she was saying. “Holy fuck, Esther. Are you serious?”

Sidney furrowed his brows as her gaze swung to meet his. “What happened?”

Charlotte shifted the phone away from her mouth. “George and Esther eloped.”

“What?” Sidney asked. He pulled on his pants and the white shirt he’d worn under his button up and went back to the kitchen to find his phone on the counter where he’d left it. He had two notifications, one a phone call, the other a picture message from Babbington which showed himself and Esther posed together.

She wore white, he wore a black suit, and they were both grinning like loons.

“Don’t bother calling him,” Charlotte was saying from the hallway. “Esther said they were turning off their phones and would check in after a couple of days. They just wanted us to know what happened so we didn’t call the cops or anything.”

“Eloped?” Sidney asked, staring at the picture. “I didn’t even know they were dating.”

“Me either,” Charlotte admitted as she stood next to him to look at his screen. “But they look happy.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t ask me to be there,” Sidney complained. “He better not have asked Crowe to be his best man.”

Charlotte laughed and kissed him. “They didn’t have anyone there with them, the chapel provided the witness. We’ll get the full story out of them when they get back from Ireland.”

“Ireland?” Sidney shook his head and put his phone down, he’d try and figure out his friend later. “Just when you think you know someone.”

“Makes our evening plans look a little boring,” Charlotte teased and Sidney grabbed chopsticks to start piling food on his place.

“I don’t know, I enjoyed our plans,” he quipped, winking at her.

She blushed, which he almost found funny since they’d been naked and panting in her bed just a few minutes ago. “Fair enough. Do you have a preference on what we watch?”

“Not really,” he handed her one of the glasses of wine and grabbed their plates to take them to the couch and set them on the coffee table. “I’m mostly interested in cuddling and making out, so maybe not something we haven’t seen before.”

Charlotte laughed and settled next to him, taking a sip of her wine before setting it down. “Cuddle and make out?”

“I’ve never Netflix and chiled before, but that does seem like what you’re supposed to do first, but you were in such a hurry to get me naked-“

She looked offended, “You had your tongue down my throat on the beach, your hand up my shirt, and then dropped me off at home. Do you know how horny I have been for the past few days?”

“You could have said something,” he answered, humor coloring his voice.

“You were being very…polite?” she answered seriously. “I don’t know if that’s the right word, but I didn’t want to push if you had boundaries about sex. Then you asked to come back to my place so I figured the door was open.”

“It was,” he told her. “You should have said something.”

“I can handle being horny,” she said dryly. “And like I said, I didn’t want to push. I figured we’d get there when we got there and it would be worth the wait. Which is was, by the way.”

Sidney nodded, his gaze going unfocused as he got lost in thought.

“Everything okay?” Charlotte asked as she watched him.

“Yeah, I just… I don’t want you to keep anything from me. I know we just started dating but this feels serious.” He looked at her to meet her eyes, “Is that just me?”

“No,” she answered, her voice solid and quick. “It’s not just you.”

“And I’ve seen too many relationships crumble because conversations are avoided instead of confronted. If you need something from me, I want you to feel comfortable telling me.”

Charlotte set her glass back down and shifted on the couch so she was on her knees, her eyes level with his. “The only thing I need from you is what you’ve already given me. Honesty, and affection, and random texts through the day. If we didn’t find our way into bed after another week I might have said something, but thank you for caring.”

He nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We had enough misunderstandings when we first met, I just don’t want anymore.”

The expression on her face was soft, and he couldn’t exactly say what he saw, but looking at her felt like home. “You’re going to be so easy to fall in love with, Sidney Parker. I hope you’re ready for that, because when I do, I’m not going to let you go easily.”

“I’ve never had someone fight for me,” he admitted quietly. “But if I had to pick a champion, I’d pick you in a heartbeat. I didn’t know I was looking for your Charlotte, but I’m damn grateful I found you.”

She leaned forward and kissed him and it felt different this time, and he wanted to hold onto this moment so he would remember it forever. He was certain in twenty years he’d be able to point to this couch, on this rainy afternoon, as the day everything changed.

“Would you like to stay the night?” she asked when she pulled away.

“Yes, I would.”

“Perfect, because I have all the Star Wars movies,” she informed him as she got up. “We’ll start with Rogue One and see how far we get.”

Sidney laughed and picked up his food as she set up the DVDs.

When she curled up against his side, a blanket covering both of them, he thought this was exactly the way he wanted to spend the rest of life.


End file.
